ABSTRACT
The employment relationship is, by its very nature, a complex interaction, comprising common and competing interests. At the heart of the relationship is an exchange of effort for money but, as it is not possible to completely specify the terms of the exchange, the employment contract inevitably carries elements of uncertainty. The benefits of the flexibility of the employment contract, together with aspects of mutuality and co-operation, are considered elsewhere in this volume. But the relationship also offers scope for divergent goals and behaviours (Edwards, 1986, 2003; Marsden, 1999). The potential for conflict is therefore considered by many to be inherent to workplace relations (see, for example, Clegg, 1975).
